Pages

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Cerebral Concussions in Children

Brain (cerebral) concussions, otherwise called "mild traumatic brain injuries" in children are attracting more attention these days due to proliferation of research in this area.
Concussions can lead to long term problems involving cognitive functions - poor memory, attention span, learning and also behavioral changes. Diagnosis of concussion is usually based on a history of trauma and neurological evaluation. Headache, nausea, vomiting, poor balance, dizziness, being dazed are very obvious signs.
Less noticeable problems include sensitivity to light and noise, numbness, feeling tired, slow responses to questions.
Old treatment of brain concussion was physical rest - including bed rest in case of dizziness and vomiting.
Now days in addition to physical rest doctors also advise to have so called "cognitive" rest - the avoidance of all activities that could increase brain metabolic rate and blood flow. The cognitive rest means forgoing video games, board games, and computers, studying, reading as well as avoiding noisy, busy and stressful environments.

Subscribe To

About Sergei Shushunov, MD

Sergei Shushunov MD, is a critical care pediatrician also trained in medical acupuncture and pharmacognosy. Sergei held academic appointments at Universities of Kansas and Illinois. During the past few years he has been working on new Therapeutic Temperature Management System for body temperature control. Sergei developed and patented several natural remedies for children's most common condition such as colic, diarrhea, earache etc. He has a company which manufactures children's products under the brand name "4healthykids".

Sergei's interestsinclude hunting, sailing, literature, theater, art galleries, kayaking. His love for hunting and sailing took him to the most unusual and remote destinations on several continents. Sergei is not a trophy hunter and he looks at hunting as an opportunity to experience different cultures.

He tries to visit art galleries in every city he travels to. He goes to theaters often, relying on his wife's exceptional ability to pick good productions

Sergei's most favorite physical activity is kayaking on lake Michigan.